Holsters: An Introduction

to

Horseshoe Leather Products

I started Horseshoe Leather Products as a small holster shop some forty-three
years ago. I never thought at the time that it would ever become what it is
today: a name that is synonymous with outstanding quality, design and
performance in the world of concealment gunleather. Now, at age eighty, that fact never ceases to amaze me! I still find it hard to believe that
the holsters I produce can wind up, not only under the jacket of some
plain-clothes professional in the US, or on the hip of an FBI agent somewhere
in Central America, or even in the small of some DEA operative's back halfway
across the world in Chiang Mai, but equally on the belt of any honest citizen.
Sobering thought!

I like to think that the main reason for this success is the fact that I have
always
run a one-man shop. I personally make every single item that bears the
Horseshoe logo from start to finish. Meticulous care and attention to detail
are as important to me as the use of the finest hand-selected leathers, the
strongest nylon threads, together with the most attractive dyes and waxes. All
these elements are combined with my own original ideas and designs plus years
of experience with guns and leather, to provide an end-product that is a
perfect balance of quality, comfort, concealability, safety, security and
speed, a personal statement of traditional craftsmanship and inimitable
old-fashioned excellence -- the finest gunleather available anywhere in the
world at any price!

Dealing with Horseshoe Leather Products means that you deal directly with me,
Andy Arratoonian, on a personal basis, not with some anonymous, faceless
organization. My policy has always been to give each and every customer the
very best that I can provide, which is why you won't find my products on sale
in shops and retail outlets or through dealers. I fully appreciate your demand
for the very best in gunleather and am totally committed to satisfying that
need. My guarantee is that I hand-craft each holster as if it were intended for
my own personal use, and that my very life depended on its performance!

My entire range of holsters is available in prime English full-grain cowhide
or, as an alternative to those customers who have long expressed a preference
for it, in imported American-tanned horsehide. If you are undecided as to which
material to choose, this link to
"Cowhide or Horsehide?"
will provide you with valuable and impartial information on the subject.
Alternatively, look in the
FAQ
section. You may rest assured, however, that whatever your choice, cowhide or
horsehide, your Horseshoe holster will be a prime example of the holstermaker's
art -- a truly functional item of beauty that you can safely bet your life on!

Selecting hides is the first important step in the manufacturing process.
Leather of varying substances is required for different models of holster. It
would be quite inappropriate, for instance, to use the same thickness of
leather for a belt holster as for an IWB holster. Fortunately, I have been
dealing with the same tannery for the last twenty years, so they are more than
familiar with my requirements. However, scrutiny is essential as the odd
maverick hide does occasionally slip by their quality control!

Leather is cut to the approximate shapes required, using special dies or knives
on a hydraulic press. These are then cut by hand to conform exactly to the
patterns for individual makes and models of weapon.
Bear in mind that I produce around fourteen different models of holster in
three different colours and two different belt-widths for over one hundred
different models of semi-auto, which is why this short-cut is essential for
keeping production time down.

The leather shapes are then subjected to the many and varied stages of the
manufacturing process: they are marked, dyed, edged, glued, stitched together,
wet-blocked, air-dried, re-dyed, stretched, burnished and subjected to the
finishing process, comprising several applications of wax, both inside and
out. After being allowed to air-dry for a further twenty-four hours, they
undergo the final step in the chain, which is a check for gun-to-weapon fit,
before being packed and shipped. And that, in a nutshell, is a brief
description of how my holsters are made!

Personal callers are always welcome, and many foreign and American visitors to
these shores have availed themselves of the opportunity to visit my home and my
workshop. Do not be disappointed, however, if you are not received by a
delegation of bimbettes at some flashy chrome-and-glass Corporate Headquarters
building, an image dear to the hearts and egos of some larger manufacturers. My
workshop is, I'm afraid, a far more down-to-earth facility. In fact, a
visitor once remarked on how it bore an uncanny resemblance to some
crime-scenes he had witnessed during his career in law-enforcement --
apartments that had been burglarized and then trashed -- only not quite as
neat! He was, of course, kidding -- but only very slightly. Ah well, guess
no-one's perfect!

This website is designed to save you the time, trouble and expense of writing
off for a catalogue by giving you access to my full range of products with just
a few clicks of your mouse-button, together with the facility to pay for them
in the same way using the Online Check System. Details of
Product Features
, methods of payment, turnaround times, plus answers to any other queries you
may have can be found at
Ordering Information
or at the
FAQ section
.